The new 4th SOS gunship is equipped with the precision strike package, which includes a mission management console, a robust communications suite, two electro-optical/infrared sensors, advanced fire control equipment, a precision-guided munitions delivery capability, as well as trainable 30 mm Mk 44 Bushmaster II and 105 mm M102 howitzer weapons onboard. Additional improvements include updated crew seats with added safety features and a relocation of equipment into more optimal locations.

The 4th SOS currently operates the AC-130U Spooky and has held the title as the most deployed squadron in the U.S. Air Force since 9/11.

“The men and women of the 4th SOS have been executing the close air support and air interdiction mission with one of the most feared gunships, the AC-130U, for 20 years,” said Col. Michael Conley, 1st Special Operations Wing commander. “These updated capabilities provide them the most modernized gunship to date.”

The Block 30 AC-130J will fulfill the same mission sets as the Spooky; however, it will cost approximately 1/3 to operate per flying hour due to the upgraded turboprop engines.

“The technology in this 5th generation gunship will ensure our combat relevance in the skies above today’s battlefields and the battlefields of the future,” Conley said.

The Ghostrider reached initial operational capability in 2017, and the first Block 30 AC-130J will remain in a testing status for approximately one year before it becomes operationally deployable.